Warning Signs of Dyslexia

If a child has 3 or more of the following warning signs, encourage that child’s parents and teachers to learn more about dyslexia. Thank you to Susan Barton, expert in Dyslexia and creator of The Barton Reading and Spelling Program, for this valuable resource.

In Preschool

• delayed speech

• mixing up the sounds and syllables in long words

• chronic ear infections

• severe reactions to childhood illnesses constant confusion of left versus right

• late establishing a dominant hand

• difficulty learning to tie shoes

• trouble memorizing their address, phone

• number, or the alphabet

• can't create words that rhyme

• a close relative with dyslexia

In Elementary School

• dysgraphia (slow, non-automatic handwriting that is difficult to read)

• letter or number reversals continuing past the end of first grade

• extreme difficulty learning cursive

• slow, choppy, inaccurate reading:

• guesses based on shape or context

• skips or misreads prepositions (at, to, of)

• ignores suffixes

• can't sound out unknown words

• terrible spelling

• often can't remember sight words (they, were, does)

• or homonyms (their, they're, and there)

• difficulty telling time with a clock with hands